Rutgers Recognized with Culture of Health Champion Award

Award recognizes leadership and commitment in creating changes that surround families with opportunities to make healthy choices

The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, presented its “Culture of Health Champion” award to Rutgers University during the Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey: Advancing the Population Agenda Conference on November 30 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. The award acknowledges Rutgers for its leadership and collaboration in establishing programs that advance nutrition education, physical activity, health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Executive Dean Robert Goodman with “Culture of Health Champion” Award.

Bill Lovett, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance of YMCAs presented the award to Executive Dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in recognition of the university’s support of a Culture of Health in New Jersey. The Office of Continuing Professional Education at Rutgers was responsible for the logistics and marketing for this event, which attracted over 400 attendees.

“Rutgers University has committed to building a culture of health in a number of communities throughout New Jersey, helping to support a variety of efforts designed to provide healthier living opportunities for children and families,” said Darrin Anderson, deputy director, NJPHK. “It is an honor to present this award to Rutgers University in recognition of the positive impact it has made in the lives of some many New Jerseyans.”

Over the past five years, NJPHK and its community partners have made significant strides in implementing more than 200 environmental and policy changes to increase access to physical activity and healthy eating. These changes include: assisting with the development of school wellness policies, renovating playgrounds, installing bike lanes, partnering with more than 160 local corner stores to include healthier product offerings and launching healthy farmer’s markets in combination with health screenings.

“As Rutgers University celebrates its 250th anniversary, we are proud of the faculty and educators whose public service has helped to build a Culture of Health enabling our diverse society to lead healthier lives, now and for generations to come,” stated Robert Goodman, executive dean, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

Dalynn Knigge, senior program and conference coordinator with the Office of Continuing Professional Education, played a critical role in coordinating the logistics and marketing, as well as processing the registration for the conference, which attracted over 400 attendees.

About the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids:
New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) is a statewide program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with technical assistance and direction provided by the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance. The goal of the program is to convene, connect and empower community partnerships across the state to design and implement childhood obesity prevention strategies that support access to affordable healthy foods and increase opportunities for safe physical activity in the cities of Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, Trenton, and Vineland. For more information, visit: www.njhealthykids.org. Follow NJPHK on Twitter or Facebook.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest private foundation in New Jersey and the nation’s largest philanthropy working to improve the health and health care of all. The Foundation is striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. RWJF has invested more than $1.5 billion in New Jersey since 1972. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org/nj. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at http://www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at http://www.rwjf.org/facebook.